VLADIMIR PUTIN said yesterday that his government would not stand in the way of any Russian athletes who wish to compete under neutral status at February’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Russia has been banned from the Games by the International Olympic Committee for state-sponsored doping, but individual athletes who can prove they have not cheated could compete under the Olympic flag.

There were concerns that the Russian president, who has long refuted allegations of systematic doping and criticised the investigations, may announce a complete boycott of the Games as a result.